The Art Of Submission: The D’Arce Choke

Jiu-Jitsu is an amazing thing. Us MMA fans love a good submission finish. We get a real kick when we see a fighter transition into position and lock up one of our favorite submissions. Some of the most common submissions in MMA are the rear-naked-chokes, armbars, triangle chokes but in this series, I am going to be looking into the submissions that we don’t tend to see as much. Last time I spoke about one of my own personal favorites, the Von Flue Choke.

The D’Arce Choke (no-gi Brabo Choke)

This choke has been around for many years and has had a huge effect on a lot of fight outcomes in both jiu-jitsu competition and MMA. The D’Arce choke is applied by wrapping both arms around the opponent’s neck, leaving one arm inside and another one outside this hold. The choke is similar but not to be confused with the Anaconda choke. The difference between them is that the choking arm is threaded under the near arm, in front of the opponent’s neck, and on top of the far arm. The other difference is where the lock is in what position that the choke is being applied in. It can get confusing. That is why I’ve found the perfect video to help explain it better.

The History of the D’Arce choke

The name ‘darce’ came from American grappler and Renzo Gracie student, Joe D’Arce, who was famous for the use of the choke. His use though was actually not how it was originated. Instead, the choke originated in Germany by a Luta Livre Esportiva competitor by the name of Björn Dag Lagerström.

The Choke Inside the Octagon

At the start of January 2016, the UFC had released information which stated that the choke had been used 15 times to secure victory inside the octagon. Of course, the number will be slightly higher now. One of the most frequent fighters to get the finish is Tony Ferguson who holds D’Arce wins over Mike Rio, Edson Barbosa and Lando Vannata. More fighters who hold wins via the choke are Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier and Paulo Thiago.